Stars
by immywrites
Summary: A stupid mistake on Pythagoras' part could destroy the group forever. /Kind of an alternate ending for the last episode. Starts after Jason is injured and will hopefully continue on from there./


Prompt: Jason takes the mickey out of Pythagoras for that 'Flee or die!' stand. (But affectionately).

The sun had set long ago, but neither Jason nor Pythagoras could sleep, no matter how hard they tried. Jason struggled to get comfortable on the rough forest floor, and he moved restlessly, kicking off the thin blanket that covered him. His trouser leg was stained dark red with fresh blood, and Jason groaned quietly. The wound must have re-opened. Pythagoras looked at him sympathetically over the fire.

'Are you alright?' Jason leaned his head back and covered his eyes with his forearm.

'I think I'm bleeding to death.' He stated, tiredly. Pythagoras chuckled.

'Don't be so dramatic. It's just a scratch.' He got to his feet and moved to Jason's side, crouching down and resting his hands on his knees.

'You're bleeding again.'

'Yeah? How'd you figure that out, genius.' Jason teased, groaning as Pythagoras placed a hand on his leg and set off a new wave of pain.

'Sorry.' Pythagoras ripped a strip from his top and wrapped it tightly around Jason's thigh, mouthing an apology when the man winced in pain. Once he'd done that, he let himself relax, shuffling backwards until he was sat next to Jason. The two men fell into a comfortable silence, the only sound being the loud crackling of the fire and the occasional wolf howling in the distance.

'Are you all right?'

Jason's voice was deafening in the eerie silence of the forest, and it visibly startled Pythagoras, which in turn caused Jason to let out a laugh.

'What?' Pythagoras looked up at Jason with an irritated frown. Jason gave a slight shake of his head and sat himself up straighter. He cleared his throat and looked at Pythagoras with adoring eyes.

'Did you really expect_ them_ to be frightened of _you_?' he questioned, his grin widening. Pythagoras rolled his eyes.

'I had to do something.' He stated, looking into the flames that danced in front of his face. 'Did you expect me to just sit there and let them kill us both?'

'Well no, but I hardly expected you to pick up a sword, either.' Jason chuckled.

'Well, it was _there a_nd I panicked!'

'You're not exactly frightening,' Jason admitted, dropping his gaze to Pythagoras' pale neck. Sure, he wasn't exactly built big, like himself, or strong like Hercules, but Jason supposed there was some kind of a charm to his ways. He'd often crept from his room during the night to find the man sat at the window muttering mathematics under his breath, nothing but the moonlight alerting Jason to his presence. He was quite endearing.

'Yes, I am aware of that Jason.' Pythagoras let out a disheartened sigh and Jason met his gaze.

'You should have left me.'

'I'd never leave you,' Pythagoras fretted. 'I- I mean, you would have died, so...' A faint blush appeared on his cheeks, and he longed to bury his head in the sand. Of course he would never have left Jason, the man meant more to him than he'd ever realize. Ever since they'd met, Pythagoras had felt a strange feeling in his chest whenever Jason had accidentally brushed against him or smiled. The thought of losing Jason now frightened him.

'Well yes, but you _wouldn't_ have.'

'But what would it matter if I h_ad _died, if you were already dead?'

'It would matter more than you'd think it would,' Jason ran a hand through his sweat soaked hair and looked up to the starry sky. 'Trust me.'

'I do trust you,' Pythagoras followed Jason's gaze to the sky. A million stars shone bright in the darkness, and they brought a strange sort of comfort to him. He felt that after a lifetime of talking and praying to them, that the stars were his friends.

'I know.'

'I could have beaten them.' Pythagoras mumbled. He pulled a handful of leaves from a nearby bush and crushed them with his fist.

'You don't even know how to _fight_,' Jason teased, turning his body towards Pythagoras.

'Well,' Pythagoras' eyes fell to the sword that lay between them on the ground. Carefully, he lifted it. 'It doesn't exactly look easy.'

'You're holding it wrong.' Jason shuffled closer to Pythagoras and took hold of his hand, repositioning it on the sword. It wasn't until he lifted his head and gazed into deep blue of Pythagoras' eyes that Jason realized how close they were sat to each other. Time seemed to stand still, and Jason opened his mouth to talk but no words escaped his lips. It took a moment for him to realize that Pythagoras as moving closer, and he had to admit that his heart had never beat so fast in his entire lifetime. His breath grew unsteady as he felt Pythagoras' hand gently brush against his own. It felt odd at first when the softness of Pythagoras' lips touched his own. He didn't know whether he should pull away, like his brain was telling him to, or whether he should kiss him back. It seemed like a lifetime before Jason's hand moved up to Pythagoras' chest and broke their lips apart.


End file.
